PCMC to ready 4 BRTS routes by next August

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has claimed that four of its Bus Rapid Transit System projects will be completed in phases by August 2014.

| TNN | May 6, 2013, 06.32 AM IST

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has claimed that four of its Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) projects will be completed in phases by August 2014.

Except for one corridor, the rest will be completed this year, the civic body has said in its written replies to queries by NCP corporator R S Kumar. There have already been huge delays in road-widening works for the corridors to be readied.

The civic body had started work on widening four major roads in the civic limits to increase connectivity and improve public transport to more than 10 lakh people in 2006. Four BRTS corridors are being developed, one along the Pune-Mumbai highway, the second on Aundh-Ravet, Wakad-Nashik Phata and Kalewadi Phata-Dehu Alandi roads.

However, except for the 12-km highway stretch between Nigdi and Dapodi, there has been no road widening because of delays in land acquisition. The widening of the highway stretch to 61 m was completed more than five years ago. However, the municipal corporation has not been able to implement the BRTS project.

Civic officials admitted that road-widening works have been delayed due to land acquisition and that they are hoping to meet the deadlines for completing the BRTS projects.

As per the civic administration's claims, two projects will be completed, this year. These include the first BRTS route on the highway stretch, and the Nashik Phata-Wakad Road stretch. The work on developing the second corridor on Aundh-Ravet Road began in September 2008 and is expected to be completed by this December. Work on the fourth route between Kalewadi Phata-Dehu Alandi Road began in August 2009 and is expected to be completed by next August.

During the presentation of the draft budget, municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi had announced that the BRTS will be operational on the highway stretch by January 2014. However, Shiv Sena members had raised queries about road safety.

The civic body subsequently appointed an agency to look into the road safety issues of the BRTS operations on the highway stretch. The BRTS operations on the first corridor have been mired in controversies related to the design of the buses. The PCMC insisted that it wanted buses with doors on the left and right because all bus stations on the BRTS corridor in its limits will be on the right while those in Pune were on the left.

The PMPML bought such buses with doors opening on both sides a year ago but the BRTS corridors have not been completed and the buses are being used for routine passenger services.

Shirish Poreddy, spokesperson for the engineering department of the PCMC, said, "Work on widening of the Pune-Mumbai highway has been completed. The two-storied flyover at Nashik phata chowk along the highway stretch will be completed this October."

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